Psalms 18:41

18:41 They cry out, but there is no one to help them; ¹ 

they cry out to the Lord, ²  but he does not answer them.

Proverbs 1:28

1:28 Then they will call to me, but I will not answer;

they will diligently seek ³  me, but they will not find me.

John 9:31

9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to ⁴  sinners, but if anyone is devout ⁵  and does his will, God ⁶  listens to ⁷  him. ⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”

² tn Heb “to the Lord.” The words “they cry out” are supplied in the translation because they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

³ tn Heb “look to.” The verb שָׁחַר (shakhar, “to look”) is used figuratively of intensely looking (=seeking) for deliverance out of trouble (W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 366); cf. NLT “anxiously search for.” It is used elsewhere in parallelism with בָּקַשׁ (baqash, “to seek rescue”; Hos 5:15). It does not mean “to seek early” (cf. KJV) as is popularly taught due to etymological connections with the noun שַׁחַר (shakhar, “dawn”; so BDB 1007 s.v. שָׁחַר).

⁴ tn Grk “God does not hear.”

⁵ tn Or “godly.”

⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ tn Or “hears.”

⁸ tn Grk “this one.”